USSR vs the Rest of the World (1970)

March 29 - April 5, 1970

During the
1950s and 1960s, chessplayers from the Soviet Union who participated in
international (FIDE) tournaments dominated these events. The dominance was not
limited to individuals, Soviet teams had also dominated the Olympiads since the
early 1950s.

Soviet
dominance was not limited to tournaments. Since Botvinnik's victory in the 1948
World Championship Tournament, the final matches for the world championship had
been contested solely by Soviet players:

1951

Botvinnik
- Bronstein

1954

Botvinnik
- Smyslov

1957

Botvinnik
- Smyslov

1958

Smylsov
- Botvinnik (rematch)

1960

Botvinnik
- Tal

1961

Tal
- Botvinnik (rematch)

1963

Botvinnik
- Petrosian

1966

Petrosian
- Spassky

1969

Petrosian
- Spassky

The event took
place in Belgrade from March 29 to April 5. In this event, dubbed "The
Match of the Century" by its Yugoslav organizers, two teams of elite
grandmasters contested a series of short (4-game) matches. The event seemed
ideal for the Soviets. A victory in the overall match would confirm to the world
the true strength of of the U.S.S.R. Should the Soviets be defeated, well, this
was a team that represented the entire rest of the world!

The Soviet lineup was impressive, to say the least. In board order the team was composed
of the following players:

Boris
Spassky (reigning World Champion)

Tigran
Petrosian (former World Champion)

Victor
Korchoi

Lev
Polugeyevsky

Efim
Geller

Vasily
Smyslov (former World Champion)

Mark
Taimanov

Mikhail
Botvinnik (former World Champion)

Mikhail
Tal (former World Champion)

Paul
Keres

Leonid
Stein (reserve)

David
Bronstein (reserve)

Members of the World team were
selected by Dr. Max Euwe, a former World Champion from the
Netherlands. He had chosen the team based on rating lists. This resulted
in Robert Fischer (U.S.A.) on Board 1 and Bent Larsen (Denmark) on Board 2.
Larsen protested this ordering claiming that his latest performances were
superior to those of Fischer. In a surprise move, less than 24 hours before play was to begin,
Fischer yielded Board 1 to Larsen. Perhaps almost as surprising was the fact
that the Soviet delegation agreed to this change. This meant that Fischer would
now be paired against Petrosian rather than Spassky. Would a sudden change in
opponent have any effect on the Soviet players?